Qualities of a Hanyou
by speed killz
Summary: Individual short stories that represent a quality that the hanyou InuYasha has, and why he has them. Ch.1Strength. Ch.2Stubbornness. Ch.3Compassion. Please Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

Qualities of a Hanyou.

Strength.

InuYasha's breathing was ragged. He wanted to fall down, but that wouldn't show everyone how strong he was. He stared at the demon across from him, and he swallowed. He caught his breath, then heaved Tetsusuiguia, holding it out in front of him. The muscles in his arms were burning. He had been fighting the same demon for almost two hours now, and Sango and Miroku were already out of the fight, too wounded to fight any longer. Kagome was tending to Sango and Miroku, about ten feet behind him, and was casting worried glances at his back. He didn't care.

The demon charged forward, and shifted shape, taking on the appearance of a dragon. InuYasha braced himself for any attack that he might launch, but the dragon stopped a few feet away from him. It opened it's mouth, and roared at him, revealing row upon row of pointy white teeth. InuYasha wasn't scared. He summoned up his remaining energy, and jumped forward, bringing his sword down, trying to split open the demon. The demons long snake-like neck slipped around his attack, and a taloned claw came up, smashing InuYasha out of the air.

InuYasha brought his sword down, sure that he would get the demon. His eyes widened, and he cursed as the demons head snaked out of the way. He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned too late, a clawed hand slamming into his body, knocking the wind out of him, sending him flying through the air, to come to rest at the base of a tree.

InuYasha coughed, wiped the blood off his chin, and tried to catch his breath, realizing that his lungs weren't working. He shook his head, ignored Kagome's cries, and dropped his sword in the dirt. Immediately, he could feel his demon blood unleashed, and it was only a matter of time before he transformed. He had better move quickly, for he wanted to kill this bastard without transforming.

He staggered forward, and a few seconds later, his lungs kicked in. He drew in a breath of oxygen, and jumped at the demon, left arm pulled back as far as it would go. The demon countered, raising it's right leg, swiping at InuYasha. InuYasha grinned, and cut right through the demon's tough leathery skin, blood spraying everywhere, soaking his already dark red kimono. He landed, as the dragons roars of pain filled his ears.

"Shut it!" He yelled, walking forward confidently, slashing his clawed hands across the demons throat. More blood sprayed, and InuYasha jumped up, dragging his right arm across the demons throat, until he reached the top of his jump. As he started to fall, he realized that the wound he had recieved in an earlier battle had opened, drenching his side in blood. He grinned, grabbing his side. His claws became covered in his own blood, and he silently launched his Blades of Blood attack, slicing the demons head off as he fell from the skies, landing on the ground.

The demons head hit the ground, and a few seconds later, so did the hanyou. Just for a second. InuYasha, on his hands and knees, caught his breath before getting up, lest anyone see him.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the fight had been hard. His demon blood roared at him, and he quickly retrieved his sword, silencing it. He thought about the battle. He had almost never won. But he had the strength to, and he had won. His eyes hardened. Nobody was ever going to call him weak, as long as he was able to stand and fight.

He would always stay strong. He spotted Kagome running over to him. He decided that if he didn't get stronger for himself, then he could at least do it for the people that couldn't be strong.


	2. Stubborn ness

Qualities of a Hanyou.

Stubborn-ness.

InuYasha gasped as a new slash was added to his stomach, and squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to give up.

"Come on, InuYasha, just give up, and you won't have to feel this pain." His tormentor said, walking around behind him. The man grinned, raised his katana, and brought it whipping down toward InuYasha's naked, unprotected back. It slashed deeply through his skin, from his right shoulder to the left side of his lower back. InuYasha winced and his legs would have given out, if he had been standing on them.

He was currently suspended from the ceiling of the chamber, by shackles around his wrist. They were cutting deeply into the skin on his wrists, and blood had long ago started dripping, running down his bare arms. He was stripped to the waist, to receive the full brutality from the man with the katana.

"At least three thousand more cuts." The man said. "Just give up."

InuYasha shook his head. "No, if I give up, Kagome and the others die, and if I last the five more days of lashing, then you are honour bound to let me go."

InuYasha's eyes flashed dangerously.

"And as soon as I am let go, I will slice you open from your throat to your crotch." He said. The man laughed, and slipped over to InuYasha's right side. He brought his katana sweeping horizontally across, slicing deep into InuYasha's side.

"If you survive." The man commented. "Three thousand more cuts, that will take about five days." He said. "It's your own stubbornness that's sending you to your grave."

"And your own stupidity that will send you to yours." InuYasha sneered. "Even if I do die, you agreed to let them out if I died, and you think they will leave peacefully? They'll tear you apart!"

The man laughed.

"Well, if your dead, there's not much use for the girls and the monk." He said. "I'll just have the monk killed, and I'll have my own version of fun with the girls." He said. InuYasha growled loudly, and those statements further strengthened his resolve.

"Keep going bitch, those three thousand lashings aren't going to deliver themselves." InuYasha snarled. The man nodded thoughtfully. "Your right, they aren't." He said, drawing back his arm and bringing it slashing down. InuYasha felt the sword bite through his chest, and carve a bloody path down his stomach, but he with held his screams. For Kagome, Sango, Miroku, this was all worth it. He wasn't giving up, and nobody could make him.

_The third day..._

InuYasha was covered in dried blood, but none of it bothered him. Nothing bothered him anymore. He had cuts on top of cuts on top of cuts, and he was starting to get used to the pain like he was used to breathing. It had become part of his existence, as natural and expected as his heart beating, and he no longer paid it any attention.

He thought of Sango, Miroku, and mostly of Kagome. They were depending on him, and nothing was going to make him let them down.

Another slash. He barely felt it.

Another. His vision was getting fuzzy. Another deep, violent cut. He was having trouble breathing. Another one, followed quickly by two more. He was fading fast.

_Kagome..._

InuYasha's eyes shot open, and he was determined to not give up. He knew he could get rid of the pain by saying, "I give up." But he wasn't going to. There was too much at stake. He glared at his tormentor, with hate in his eyes.

"Is that all you got?" He asked, and the grin on his tormentors face told him all that he needed to know.


	3. Compassion

Qualities of a Hanyou.

Compassion.

InuYasha stared at the raven-haired girl across from him, and felt his heart swell as all the emotions ran through his body, barely contained. She was unaware of the half-demons gaze, and continued to laugh and joke with Sango, the demon slayer, and Miroku, who was a bad example of a monk. InuYasha couldn't help but smirk as Sango bent over to pick up a bottle sake. It was going to happen, without fail.

Without fail it did. Miroku's hand found Sango's backside, and the sake bottle clanked off his rather hollow head, resulting in a large bump forming on his forehead.

"I told you Miroku, stop groping me!" She said, taking a swallow of sake. Kagome giggled, and this attracted Sango's attention.

"What's so funny, Kagome?" She asked, warily.

Kagome shook her head.

"Usually when he gropes you, you call him a pervert, or call him houshii, but this time you used his name." She said. Sango blushed lightly, and ignored it.

"That doesn't mean anything!" She declared.

Kagome shrugged. "I never said it did mean anything, Sango, what do you think it means?"

Sango realized she had been backed into a corner.

"N-nothing, nothing, you're talking nonsense." She said.

InuYasha smiled softly, before he could control himself, and quickly forced his face into his customary scowl, lest anyone see his smile. He couldn't believe it. The final battle against Naraku, Kagura, Kanna, all their minions, and countless demons, with death imminent, and here Kagome was, implicating that Sango had feelings for Miroku.

InuYasha shook his head, snorted, and retreated into a corner. He was glad that no one bothered him, although he saw Kagome cast him a worried glance out of the corner of his eye.

He ignored her.

_'Fuck, she just sits there making jokes and smiling like everythings alright, and we could be dead in a few hours.' _ He thought. His thoughts turned to his feelings, like they always did before a big battle. It wasn't that he paid attention to his feelings or anything, it's just that he felt like any man felt in the face of death. He wanted to be remembered after he was gone, and sometimes sorting out his feelings helped him understand what he would be remembered for. He wondered if he should tell her.

_'Fuck, you think she would believe you if you came out and told her you loved her? Loved her for all the things she is, not for the soul everyone thinks she's a copy of?'_ InuYasha snorted.

There wasn't a chance in hell she would believe him, and he didn't want to see one of those fake smiles she always passed on to Kouga, the one that was completely see through, he didn't want her to hear him say he loved her, then see her fake smile, even though she didn't believe him and didn't love him back, but to make him feel good she would say she loved him back, just to make him happy. She tried so hard to make everyone happy, and everyone _was_ happier, it seemed, except her. He had seen her sighing when she thought she was alone, and she always seemed so sad. He didn't know what was bothering her, and he could never figure it out.

_'I'm not that heartless that I'd tell her I love her, whether she believes it or not, right before a battle that we could all die in. Maybe if things were different, but...'_

He closed his eyes. He wouldn't do it to her. Better to try his hardest to make sure she lived, even if he died. It would hurt her a lot less if he died, and she didn't know that he loved her. No matter what, if they went to war tomorrow, he was going to go with concealed emotions. All bases would be covered. Kagome would not know that he loved her, so that she didn't get hurt. He would die, if needed, to ensure her life. If she was in danger, his life would be sacrificed, ensuring her time to get away. There was no point in telling her he loved her with all his heart, and make her think of what could have been, had they not had to fight Naraku.

His golden eyes narrowed.

Everyone would be protected, physically, and emotionally.

He closed his eyes, and felt his love for Kagome threatening to overwhelm him.

Everyone would be protected. Except him.

But it didn't matter. Kagome was the important one here. All he had to do was protect her with his life tomorrow, and everything would be fine. He could do that, couldn't he?

He smiled, and his ear twitched as he heard Sango admitting a few things to Miroku, and Kagome's quiet giggling. He knew that Sango and Miroku were just trying to deny the harsh reality of what was taking place tomorrow, and were talking about how they felt about each other as a way to escape the oppression of tomorrow.

But he refused to do it. He knew how he felt about Kagome, and these feelings were too real for him to just say, right now, with what was going down tomorrow. He just couldn't do it. Kagome, she meant too much to him now. Better to let her go into battle tomorrow with a clear head, not knowing that he loved her. It would put too much pressure on her, and if he died, then she would have double the guilt and pain.

He knew, deep down in his heart, that while Miroku and Sango and Kagome _were_ going to survive tomorrow, as he would make sure of it, he wasn't so sure of himself. He wasn't going to let any harm come to Kagome and the others, and if that meant he had to die, then he was ready to die. That would be how he showed her his love.

Thoughts resolved, he turned back to the group, and once again returned his gaze to Kagome as she continued talking to Miroku and Sango.

The beautiful girl in front of him, he loved her, and it hurt him that she would never know, but he loved her enough that he would rather take that pain then let her be in pain from knowing that he loved her, then being able to do nothing as he was most surely going to be killed tomorrow. He wouldn't do that to her.

_'Tomorrow.'_ He thought. _'If I'm alive by the end of tomorrow, then I'll tell her how I feel, but not until then.'_

With feelings concealed, he looked up at Kagome, and she turned to him, catching his smile.

"Good luck tomorrow guys." He said, and everyone turned to him, not expecting him to speak at all tonight.

"No matter what happens, I just wanted to let you guys know that you've all been the best friends anybody could ask for." He said, turning around and laying down on the hard floor, clutching his sword close.

As he did so, he missed Kagome's hurt look, as she stared at his back.

_'Am I only just a friend to him? Nothing more? I can't believe that after all this time, there's no feelings there...'_


	4. SelfSacrifice

Qualities of a Hanyou. 

Self-Sacrifice.

InuYasha sheathed his Tetsusaigua, and ran toward Naraku, bare fisted. He slashed his way through the countless demons that tried to stop him, and he could feel it in his body. With every beat of his heart, he knew that Naraku would die today. He felt Kagome's arrows slicing through the airborne demons behind him, and Sango's Hiraikotsu taking out demons above him, their warm blood falling out of the sky like rain. He growled as a large demon reared up in front of him, and he drew back his talons, slashing down hard and slicing the demon to bloody peices. He saw a demon coming at him from the side, and he swung his fist at it, connecting and splitting its head open. InuYasha ran through the mist of blood and bone fragments, and kept on charging hard, eventually reaching Naraku.

Naraku smiled one of his sick, twisted smiles that meant something was up, and InuYasha was instantly on guard.

"Come for me, InuYasha." He said, his voice low and full of malice. InuYasha growled, and heaved his sword out of it's sheath, getting ready to unleash the Wind Scar. Suddenly, Naraku put up a hand, making InuYasha halt. There was definitely something up, and he didn't want to slay Naraku, only to find that he had unleashed an even tougher beast.

"I give you a few choices, InuYasha." He said. "One..." InuYasha spun around as he heard Kagome screaming his name.

Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were all surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Saimyosho.

"...You retreat, and take your friends with you, and live to fight another day." He said. InuYasha cursed.

"Option two." He said. "You strike me with your sword, and your friends pay the price, along with yourself. If you decide to kill me, your friends perish, and your sword will become stuck in my rapidly decaying body, and as you attempt to pull it free, you will be overtaken and slaughtered." He said.

"What will it be, InuYasha?" He asked. "Although I already know you will choose your friends lives." He said.

InuYasha glared at Naraku.

"Your a sick bastard, and you will get your someday." InuYasha said, backing away a few steps.

Naraku smiled.

"Wise choice, InuYasha, retreat, with your tail between your legs, and hide like the dog you are."

InuYasha looked behind him as he lowered his sword, and saw the Saimyosho leaving his friends, to come back to Naraku's side.

"Tell me Naraku, how'd you know I would choose to save my friends?" InuYasha asked. He cast a quick glance behind him to where the group was rapidly retreating, to a safe distance away. He could see Kagome casting worried glances back at him, and he felt his heart flutter nervously at what he was going to do, but he knew it had to be done. For their sake.

"I knew you would choose your friends because your a weak hanyou, with _feelings_." He said, spitting out the word 'feelings.' "Your a bleeding heart with hopeless love for a girl that will never accept you for who you are."

"Shut the fuck up, you have no idea about how Kagome feels, or if she will accept me or not!" He said.

Naraku 'tsk'ed.

"I wasn't talking about Kagome, InuYasha. I was talking about Kikyo."

InuYasha felt the blood go to his head, and he was instantly seeing red. He was beyond angry, but he didn't care. The group was getting further and further away, and he had to buy them time. Almost...

"To tell the truth, Naraku, I loved Kikyo once, but not anymore. Kagome is the one I love, and although I made the mistake of not telling her, I'm not going to make any more mistakes." He said, backing up to keep up the premise of running away. "And another thing, I am a bleeding heart. I do care about my friends. But you underestimated just how much of a bleeding heart I am, because I'm willing to die for them." He said. "You didn't think about that, did you?" He asked, jumping forward.

Surprised, Naraku could do nothing, but the Saimyosho reacted, quickly attacking InuYasha. InuYasha ignored the poisonous bites and stings, and focused on the last thing he would ever have to do in his life.

He reached forward, and ran Naraku through the heart with his Tetsusaigua, twisting it, and ripping it out again. Immediately, the body started melting, Naraku defenseless in his half-breed state. Naraku had been counting on InuYasha's love of life to keep him safe, but had miscalculated. As long as his friends were safe, InuYasha didn't care what happened to himself.

InuYasha desperately tried to pull his sword loose, but it was stuck, just like Naraku had said it would be. For a second, InuYasha considered letting go of his sword, but he didn't. His sword was how he lived, it would be how he died. He stood up tall, and kept a firm grasp on it as Naraku melted away, corrosive acid crawling up the sword. As soon as it touched his hand, InuYasha felt the most intense pain in his arm, and he tried not to throw up as he saw a glimpse of white bone through the acid. He tried moving his hand, but his muscles had been eaten away by the acid. InuYasha felt his skin burning, and tried to think of other things to take his mind off the pain. He felt his sword move, and all thoughts of running away were killed when InuYasha realized that he had to hold the sword in Naraku's melting body until he was killed, or else he could just heal and change shape. InuYasha pushed harder on the sword, and it sunk deeper into Naraku. The acid was now around his ankles, and the first part to be eaten away was the thin layer of skin covering his ankle bone. His ankle bones gleamed white as the acid crawled up his body, bringing more unimaginable pain to his body. InuYasha finally let out a scream he had been holding on to for so long, but it didn't help any of the pain.

Kagome turned, as she thought she heard something.

"Did you guys hear that?" She asked. Sango nodded grimly. "InuYasha screaming." She said. Kagome's heart skipped a beat, then sped up, beating rapidly.

"I hope he's okay." She said softly.

Sango nodded, and rubbed her back, unable to speak.

Kagome kept walking, and a few seconds later, got a slight pain in her chest. She stopped, and kneeled down, clutching her chest. She knew in her heart what was going on, but she was afraid to admit it, as if that would make it more real. As Sango knelt down to help her, the pain abruptly stopped. At once, although she didn't know why, she started crying. Tears ran down her face, and when she reached up to touch her moist cheek, she finally realized.

InuYasha was dead.


End file.
